In other main card action, welterweight finishers Vicente Luque and Randy Brown take on, Lando Vannata fights Bobby Green in a lightweight rematch, middleweight veterans Ed Herman and Gerald Meerschaert satisfy in a light heavyweight match, and Texas-based middleweights Kevin Holland and Trevin Giles start the proceedings.
Edmen Shahbazyan is all set for his close-up.
Brunson has only lost to the very best of the very best, implying hes the ideal litmus test for Shahbazyan. Is Shahbazyan a legitimate candidate to become the youngest champ in UFC history or will Brunson hinder his hype train as hes performed in his previous 2 battles against Ian Heinisch and Elias Theodorou?
In the co-main occasion, leading flyweight contender Joanne Calderwood takes a risky fight versus previous Invicta FC champ Jennifer Maia. “JoJo” was lined up for a chance at Valentina Shevchenko, but with Shevchenko currently out with an injury, Calderwood decided to set up her area in the rankings for the possibility to stay busy and take on the dangerous Maia.
Simply 22 years of ages, Shahbazyan has been placed at the front and center of all of the UFCs advertising efforts for its go back to UFC APEX in Las Vegas on Saturday. UFC Vegas 5 main event equivalent Derek Brunson is a reputable opponent, however all the buzz around Shahbazyans next battle has him poised to make a big leap up the middleweight rankings with a win.
What: UFC Vegas 5
Where: UFC APEX in Las Vegas
Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
Brunson can go the distance with elite fighters, a category that Shahbazyan needs to show he comes from, however hes failed a lot of times in prominent scenarios to be preferred.
Choose: Shahbazyan
Shahbazyan by knockout.
When: Saturday, Aug. 1. The whole occasion will air on ESPN+, with the four-fight preliminaries starting at 7 p.m. ET, and the six-fight primary card starting at 9 p.m. ET.
Shahbazyan is also deceptively strong, which will serve him well versus Brunsons wrestling. Brunson still has a bad habit of telegraphing his shots and Shahbazyan understands how to turn packed takedowns into offense. It behooves Brunson not to require the action, because so far Shahbazyan hasnt revealed a significant hole in his video game, which means Brunson ought to take his time finding out where Shahbazyan may falter.
Joanne Calderwood vs. Jennifer Maia
Now, the popular forecast appears to be that Shahbazyan dusts Brunson inside of a round, which makes sense given their track histories. Shahbazyan is a wicked finisher with a preternatural mix of precision and persistence, while Brunson has actually been caught in the opening round numerous times. Search for Shahbazyan to take the center of the octagon immediately and dare Brunson to make the very first relocation. As savvy as Brunson is, hes likewise been bitten in the past for being too tentative, though his recent performance shave revealed hes still enhancing at picking his spots on offense while bearing in mind his defense even at age 36.
Step 1: Make weight.
Its a shame that this isnt a five-round centerpiece (the bout was initially arranged as the co-main and later bumped to the headlining area after Holly Holm vs. Irene Aldana was canceled when Aldana evaluated positive for COVID-19) due to the fact that its essential for an aspiring competitor like Edmen Shahbazyan to get as much cage time as possible at this stage of his career and Derek Brunson has the capabilities to test him for 25 minutes.
Step 2: Beat Joanne Calderwood?
In a word: mayhem.
Choose: Herman
Choose: Vannata
Frankie Saenz def. Jonathan Martinez
Choose: Brown
Step 3: Profit.
Lando Vannata vs. Bobby Green
Ed Herman vs. Gerald Meerschaert
Versus a fluent standup professional like Calderwood, Maia could see her lead leg chewed up if she isnt careful. For Calderwood, the secret will be her normal mix of volume and simple nastiness.
Nathan Maness def. Johnny Munoz
Vicente Luque vs. Randy Brown
Kevin Holland vs. Trevin Giles
Choose: Calderwood
Holland needs to utilize his motion to avoid Giles from outmuscling him and doing damage in close. Understanding Holland, hell have welcome the opportunity to check his clinch and dirty boxing skills against Giles, however thats not the course to success for him. Giles has a clean jab and the ability to generate punching power in a rush, which makes him a danger to finish if the durable Holland gets negligent.
Preliminaries
Its amazing to watch how Randy Brown has established given that making his UFC launching in 2016. The 30-year-olds continuous development is why Im picking him to beat Vicente Luque.
As long as this stays standing, I like Hermans possibilities of scraping by with a hard-fought, gutsy, and occasionally awful effort.
When he has to improvise, this could be a wild one and Holland has actually shown he prospers. Holland wins a close choice.
I anticipate this fight to have lots of back-and-forth, with Brown ending up and outlasting Luque in the third.
Greens typical protective techniques simply arent reliable versus an opponent with Vannatas design. “Groovy” is proficient at attacking from unorthodox angles and where other guys may miss, Vannata can discover the button and struck it over and over again. If he tightens up his efficiency a lot more, he could really finish Green.
That killer impulse of Calderwood will be the distinction as Maia just hasnt revealed she has an extra gear given that joining the UFC. As long as Calderwood remains smart and respects Maias power, she needs to take a choice.
Pick: Holland
Jamall Emmers def. Vincent Cachero
Though hes in fact 2 years Browns junior, Luque is considerably older in MMA years and its reasonable to wonder if his own development has actually slowed at all. Hes still among the very best finishes in the whole UFC, efficient in blitzing with mixes and muscling his challengers into submission with a variety of chokes. The question is whether Brown is about to leapfrog Luque in the rankings.
I have excessive regard for Greens game to make that call, so Im leaning towards a Vannata choice win rather.
Chris Gutierrez def. Cody Durden
What a great concept to give these two 15 more minutes to work. Lando Vannata and Bobby Greens very first fight at UFC 216 was an amusing tilt marred by Vannata losing his senses for a moment and costing himself a point with a prohibited knee early in the contest. Beyond that brain fart, Vannata seemed the sharper striker and hell definitively prove that in the rematch.
Browns striking has become a lot more fluid and he compliments that with a serviceable fumbling game. Hes also improved his range striking, a key skill that is the distinction between him being a fun mid-tier fighter and a potential contender. His defense likewise factors into this fight as Luque can dragging anybody into a dogfight, a circumstance that hes going to have the upper hand in generally.
Ed Herman and Gerald Meerschaert have seen it all and odds are theyre just aiming to toss down and have a good time on fight night. Sure, theres more to their ability than that as this could easily become a difficult ground fight with Herman working his meerschaert and ground-and-pound searching for submissions. The modern-day version of Herman is nearly strictly a standup fighter, one that will challenge Meerschaert to keep speed in the striking department.
The unpredictable Kevin Holland doesnt always maximize his prodigious physical presents, however when hes on his video game his prospects are as intense as any fighter at 185 pounds. He has a considerable reach advantage over the bulk of fighters in his department, consisting of Trevin Giles.
As my colleague Jed Meshew so eloquently put it on Between the Links, this is the most middleweight of middleweight battles … and its happening at light heavyweight, which some how makes it more middleweight-y.
Now, the popular prediction appears to be that Shahbazyan dusts Brunson inside of a round, which makes sense provided their track histories. Shahbazyan is a wicked finisher with a preternatural mix of accuracy and patience, while Brunson has actually been captured in the opening round numerous times. Look for Shahbazyan to take the center of the octagon right away and attempt Brunson to make the very first move. Brunson still has a bad habit of telegraphing his shots and Shahbazyan knows how to turn packed takedowns into offense. It behooves Brunson not to force the action, because so far Shahbazyan hasnt showed a significant hole in his game, which indicates Brunson should take his time figuring out where Shahbazyan might fail.
Simple enough, therefore far Jennifer Maia nailed step one, which hasnt been a guarantee for her. After two straight misses, Maia successfully struck the flyweight mark on Friday and she couldnt have actually done it a much better time. She has a golden chance to take Calderwoods thunder and slip into the title picture.
